Food Wars! Vol. 9 (Shokugeki no Soma #9) by Yuto Tsukuda

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ◊

Honestly, I think the best part of this volume was learning about a surprise finalist. He is one of the most interesting characters and I’m super excited to find out more about him.

The Fall Classic finals have begun, with the theme of the first round being bento boxes. It’s a battle of the egos as Soma clashes with Alice Nakiri. Her bento gets rave reviews from the strict judges, but Soma invents a boxed lunch unlike one anyone’s ever seen! Then, no sooner does the first round end than the second begins!

With the beginning of the Fall Classic finals, the biggest thing for me is that we find out who the surprise finalist is and what exactly this means for the finals. This was the best part of the whole volume for me.

Yes, Soma goes up against Alice and he shows that he has the chops to compete with someone who has access to a lot more cutting edge technology and food knowledge, but he is able to bring to the judges’ minds what it means to have bento box.

But, the surprise finalist is just…interesting. Soma meets Subaru Mimasaka before his match, and he seems very kind and he’s very good with his hands, almost delicate, but he’s this huge dude with a motorcycle, has a braided mohawk and he’s just a stack of contradictions. He’s an interesting competitor, especially with how he competes and why he competes. I won’t say much more because that would give away a lot of what happens next, but it is fascinating to read and understand what’s going on.

What types of characters stand out to you in manga, even if their appearance is brief? Why do you remember them? Comment below and let me know!